


Taken By The Sky

by wingsyouburn



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Gen, Mid-Canon, Missing Scene, World of Ruin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 03:24:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5951935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsyouburn/pseuds/wingsyouburn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Setzer never thought that taking on Kefka would lead them to this. Written in celebration of Setzer's birthday, February 8.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taken By The Sky

The world, as they knew it, was over. 

Some people found themselves lucky to be alive. They reunited with friends and loved ones, mourned those they’d lost, and tried to rebuild whatever they could from the ruins of once-great cities and towns. They chose to survive, through any means necessary. 

Setzer wasn’t interested in survival. Never was, if he was being honest. There was no point in life without risk, without adventure, without making his own rules. 

And now everything was gone, but he was still here. 

When they flew to the Floating Continent, not once did he think that they all wouldn’t get out of there. His place was with the Blackjack and thus not in the thick of the fighting, and that suited him just fine. It wasn’t like he thought it would be a walk in the park by any means, but he did believe in the Returners, that they were fighting the good fight and he would do what he could to help out. 

But Kefka, fucking _Kefka,_ ruined everything. It would be one thing if he attacked them, but dismantling the Warring Triad and destroying the world? Setzer had once thought he could fly through any storm, ride out any sort of trouble. He was no stranger to gambles and betting it all, but having the Blackjack torn apart under his feet was too much, even for him. 

He’d tried to hold her together, truly. But there were forces at work here that no man could ever hope to stand against, and thus, the Blackjack never had a chance. And one by one, Setzer watched his comrades all plummet from the wreckage as the ship tore in half. He’d managed to catch Terra by the hand, but she too slipped from his grasp. 

And then there was nothing. 

When he woke, nothing but a clear sky greeted him. No clouds, no stars, just bright blue searing through his entire body. The light armor he’d wore had cracked in the fall, but to his amazement, not a single bone was broken, though his entire body felt like a giant bruise. He drew a breath, ignored the pain that jolted through him, and rolled over onto his side. He was in a field of some kind, knee high grass as far as the eye could see. Dirt caked in the folds of his jacket, splattering his boots. Literally covered in earth - for Setzer, there was no worse a fate. 

But it got worse, he realized, as he sat up and took in his surroundings. He landed not far from the wreckage of the Blackjack, and he had to blink a couple times, just to make sure what he was seeing was real. The physical manifestation of his hopes and dreams lay in pieces, smouldering. Not even the twisted bits of metal that had been the hull were salvageable. Just one glance told him what he already knew - the Blackjack would never fly again. 

His limbs felt heavy as he dragged himself to standing. Soon scavengers and vultures alike would be here to pick over the wreckage and take anything valuable with them, and Setzer couldn’t bear the thought of it. Best that he was gone before they arrived. To his relief, not a single corpse laid within the heap of metal and he thought again of Terra, her eyes wide as she was ripped away from him. He still heard Celes shouting in his ears, louder than the destruction around them. Hell, even Locke deserved a better end than this. 

Setzer hadn’t been able to save any of them. At the very least, he had promised them safe passage about his ship, and it seemed their fates were scattered by the wind, nothing he could do to help them. The only thing he took from the site was one of the poker chips from the Blackjack’s tables, worthless now in this world of ruin. 

He looked over the chip before spinning it in his fingers, then pocketed it. Now it was nothing more than a reminder of a life he’d once lived and a man he’d once been. His wings were gone. Somewhere, Darill was screaming at him to get back up in the skies, to keep going on, not to let this get to him. 

Setzer simply didn’t know if he had it in him anymore. Not without his ship. Not without Darill. 

Not without his friends. 

His daggers and his cards were still tucked into his jacket, so he started to make his way across the fields towards what he hoped was civilization. Along the way, he was stopped by a man riding a chocobo, who merely looked him up and down before asking, “Do you need a ride anywhere?” 

“What’s the closest town?” Setzer asked, his voice void of the mirth and charisma he’d grown used to wearing like armor. 

“Kohlingen.” The man pointed east. “Less than two kilometers.” He paused, studying Setzer’s face. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Setzer bowed his head, and said no more, leaving the man behind as he continued his trek. If there was any luck left in the world at all, someone in Kohlingen still knew how to make a stiff drink.


End file.
